title: Extrapyramidal side effects in patients with Alzheimer's disease treated with low-dose neuroleptic medication.
abstract: The authors examined whether the presence of extrapyramidal side effects (EPS), measured before neuroleptic treatment was initiated, could be used to predict the development and severity of neuroleptic-induced parkinsonism (NIP) in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Twenty-four newly medicated probable AD patients were assessed with a battery of measures of extrapyramidal motor function. Assessments were made before neuroleptic therapy, and 3 and 9 months after treatment. Posttreatment clinical findings revealed that 66.7% of the AD patients developed NIP. Patients who developed NIP exhibited more severe pretreatment bradykinesia on instrument-derived measures. These findings suggest that a substantial proportion of AD patients treated with neuroleptics develop significant EPS and that the risk for EPS can be estimated before intervention by use of instruments measuring motor function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, USA. mcaligiuri@ucsd.edu
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Caligiuri
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rockwell
authors.forename: D V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Jeste
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001480:Basal Ganglia Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002140:California; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D010302:Parkinson Disease, Secondary / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011379:Prognosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013881:Thioridazine / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D006220:Haloperidol; D013881:Thioridazine